Since he became Clemson’s head coach in 2008, Dabo Swinney has strived to ensure his players put forth their best efforts every day — a message encapsulated in his “Best Is The Standard” slogan.
But that message has been under attack by fans in recent years after wins and College Football Playoff appearances have become less frequent.
Dating back to the end of the 2022 season, the Tigers have lost four of their last eight games, the most recent loss being a devastating overtime defeat to Florida State in Death Valley on Sept. 23. Since the 2020 season, Clemson has had eight losses. In comparison, Clemson had just five losses over five seasons from 2015-2019.
Despite the recent struggles, Swinney has remained optimistic about this year’s team, as well as the program as a whole.
Ahead of Clemson’s matchup with Wake Forest on Saturday, Swinney spoke to the media and dished on what his “Best Is In The Standard” slogan means.
“‘Best Is The Standard’ is about being and doing your best in everything that you do,” Swinney said. “And that’s an inward focus. And I think that’s what a lot of people, as our program has developed, they take that the wrong way. It’s never been about being the best. When you’re just focused on being the best, then, to me, that’s dangerous because you’re comparing yourself to other people.”
Swinney added that each letter of each word in the word “Best” coincides with a specific word or phrase — “B” is for believe, “E” is for effort, “S” is for seize the day and “T” is for toughness.
In Swinney’s mind, if a player or coach believes, brings effort, seizes the day and is tough, they can achieve great things, both on and off the field.
“I do believe if you get a group of people, together, collectively committed to that standard, committed to being and doing their best, hey, you might have a chance to be the best, we’ll see,” Swinney said. “But you got no chance to be the best at anything you do in life until you learn how to be your best.”
Through the years, Swinney’s message has resonated with players, one of whom is running back Will Shipley.
Shipley was also asked on Tuesday what the slogan means to him.
“If you’re always pushing to not be the best but to be your best, you know then in return you’re going to get the results in the success that you want,” Shipley said.
